Tag Archives: PCBs

Last Thursday (April 16, 2015) the Illinois House voted 104-10 to pass HB 1326, protecting the Mahomet Aquifer from possible contamination from toxic waste. This bill prohibits Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) waste and Polychlorinated Biphenal (PCB) waste above certain levels from being dumped where it could contaminate the aquifer. The house bill, introduced by Rep. Carol Ammons, was then forwarded to the Illinois Senate with sponsor Sen. Scott M. Bennett, who introduced a similar bill there in February. (SB 1698) The House bill is scheduled to be read in the Senate April 21. Thanks to all of our Springfield representatives and senators who have supported the efforts to protect our Sole Source Aquifer.

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2014 was an extraordinary year for aquifer protection efforts! Thanks to the municipalities, counties and groups that worked so hard to protect the Mahomet Aquifer, our sole source of water for 750,000 + people in Central Illinois. Keep up your amazing work! Families, farms and commerce depend on this valuable resource. Support your community leaders who continue to make this a top priority in 2015. cleanwater4midIL

A community meeting focused on ways to protect the Mahomet Aquifer is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 11. The meeting will take place at the Vespasian Warner Library from 10 a.m. until noon. The meeting will include discussions on current legal procedures, an advisory referendum that will be on the Nov. 4 ballot and opportunities to take action locally and regionally. If you use the Mahomet Aquifer or care about protecting this valuable water resource then this is your community meeting!

The DeWitt County Board placed the following referendum on the November ballot by unanimous vote:
“Are you in favor of the permitting of a Chemical Waste Landfill located in DeWitt County over the Mahomet Aquifer?”

If you live in DeWitt County, IL make sure you are registered to vote in the November election and let your voice be heard!

We do not need a chemical waste landfill in Central Illinois or anywhere else. There are technologies available to dispose of these poisonous wastes permanently instead of simply dumping them in a hole in the ground, potentially threatening a valuable water source. Say NO to old, environmentally unsustainable solutions like landfills and let your representatives know you support solutions that leave a healthier environment for our children and our children’s children.

The US Environmental Protection Agency said it will not proceed with a determination on the Clinton Landfill PCB permit application, according to the Champaign News-Gazette. They cite the recent permit modification by the IEPA that denies acceptance of PCB cleanups at the landfill as the reason. The USEPA website has updated its technical documents list with items from the Illinois EPA and the DeWitt County Board supporting this. Check it out:

WILL online news reports in addition to banning PCB and MGP waste from coming into the Clinton landfill, past MGP waste delivery manifests from the Clinton landfill will be examined to see if what is already there needs to be removed. Check it out for yourself! Quinn Expands Landfill Ban

Gov. Pat Quinn has directed the Illinois EPA to block PCBs from being dumped at the Clinton Landfill. The governor’s office says that because the original siting for Area Disposal/Clinton Landfill, Inc. specifically disallowed the poisonous PCBs, the IEPA can now modify the landfill’s permit to keep them out of the Clinton Landfill which sits over the Mahomet Aquifer in DeWitt County. Check out this news article from WILLradio.TV.online: Quinn Orders State EPA to Bar PCB’s from Clinton Landfill

Gov. Pat Quinn has instructed the Illinois EPA to take action to protect the Mahomet Aquifer from possible contamination from the Clinton Landfill in DeWitt County. Check it out here: VermillionCountyFirst

Illinois Senator Chapin Rose announced today at the University of Illinois Prairie Research Institute a collaborative effort to find alternative ways to dispose of waste contaminated with PCB’s. The institute will begin a research project aimed at keeping these toxic chemicals out of landfills and finding an environmentally sustainable method to dispose of them. This is a collaboration between state, federal and U of I resources to address this important issue. The initiative received support from Sen. Rose, Sen. Mike Frerichs, Rep. Naomi Jakobsson, U.S. Congressman Rodney Davis and U.S. Senators Mark Kirk and Dick Durbin . The stated goal of the project, “protection of the Mahomet Aquifer from PCB threat,” is a result of the ongoing work being done by Rose’s Mahomet Aquifer Working Group to address potential problems with having a landfill situated directly over the Mahomet Aquifer. Rose said the aim of the project is to research the alternate methods available and to find a “win-win” answer to the problem of PCB-contaminated sites. The solution needed is to find a permanent way to dispose of the cleanup waste instead of just moving it from one hole in the ground to another, especially a hole that is over the main water source for Central Illinois. This is an important step in addressing a critical issue for the state of Illinois. Thank you Sen. Rose for spearheading this important project!